Flavor - light notes of coffee cherry and lychee with wisps of herbal hop, washed out by a moderate cola character, with stronger clove and horehound in the finish. Dark caramel malt is muted by very good attenuation. Notes of hey, violet and dandelion , peak out of moderately strong aromatic coacoa character. Finish sneaks out quickly, with a light bitter chocolate aftertaste. Possibly detecting a trace of sulfur, and a barely detectable diacetyl. There does seem to be a light lactic acidity, though it is difficult to say in such a dark beer and basically a background component.

Very dark brown, with a large tan head that reduces to a creamy quarter inch layer.

Smells like soot, and hints of grain, dark chocolate and dark fruit.

Tastes like smooth chocolate malt combined with sooty roastiness, and after a few seconds a good amount of assertive bitterness joins in and intensifies into the finish. Moderate acidity. Full flavored and tasty, with excellent balance and good length.

Over-carbonated out of the bottle, but some swirling renders it creamy and smooth. Medium bodied; not very thick for the style, but does have a nice silkiness.

lots of hype i have in my head around de dolle, all of their beer i have had has been awesome, so i jumped on this when i saw it on sale this week. bottled in february 2013. its a crazy pour, mocha brown airy fizzy head rises up and fills my globe before the beer can, and i lose a few ounces from the bottle gushing out as well. dark brown liquid, not black, and once the head settles, approachable looking for what it is. it has a sharp smell to it, no markers or anything caustic like that, but a tannic tartness, almost dried cherry notes, neat but not what i expected. so much less dark roast, so much more yeast. the flavor too is quite tannic, even pushing acidic. its yeasty for sure too, which i really like in a stout, and really like about de dolle, but its almost in the place of dark grain in this stout, where bitterness and rich roast belongs, i have tangy yeast and mild oxidation. chocolate and ashy bite are there in the finish, but the acidity is a lot, and i dont love it. carbonation is really high for style but i dont mind that at all, it lightens the 9% abv pretty well. overall i like that this is different, but i dont love it on the whole. probably my least favorite beer from these guys so far... (1,224 characters)

Poured an opaque black no hue or light even when held up to the light with a huge blooming head that went over the glass whoo dont know where that came from.Rich aromas raisin and bitter chocolate really show thru with a tinge of that Belgian yeast lingering,kind of a prickly mouthfeel but the body was quite nice.Flavors are not overly sweet by any imagination bitter unsweetened chocolate and dark roast coffee dominate a touch of earth in the finish rounds this beer out nicely.Not a bas stout the alcohol is well hidden making it quite drinkable,I would buy again. (569 characters)

Appearance  The head on this beer is massive! It isnt explosive like an HOTD, but it comes out super thick and is parked on top of the pretty light black liquid. You instinctively know that it is an absolute waste of time to wait for this head to go down.

Smell  The light darkish malts are well-roasted but not burnt. The balancing brown sugars are equally mellow, though not wimpy in the least. Everything about this bouquet is very pleasing to the nose.

Taste  The sugars come on more at the taste, probably due to the age, and the malts are a bit lighter but still wonderfully balanced. They are mildly roasted; not overpowering but not faded.

Mouthfeel  This is medium-bodied with a little malty bitterness in back of the tongue.

Drinkability  This is an amazing beer. The big flavors are so sessionable its hard to believe. Everything is rightly balanced and incredibly smooth.

Comments  I cellared this 2004 vintage in just-right conditions and boy oh boy did that pay off. Two years down was perfect for this stout. (1,058 characters)

A: Almost black with an enormous beige and rocky head that settles in an uneven fashion and leaves lots of lacings.

S: A very interesting smell. Roasted malts are prominent but not dominating. Lots of yeast, planting soil, slightly tart fruits and a strange spicy notes. A note or iron and perhaps just a faint hint of funk.

T: The taste is rather different for a stout. Sweet roasted malts, a note of burnt coffee and tannins, and a mild fruity tartness dominate. Notes of earth, yeast, wood, spices and sweet dark fruits. The finish is bitter with a complementing tartness, a prominent note of iron, and wood. I really like this.

M: Medium to full body and lively carbonation.

D: Tart stouts can be something of a hit or miss, and this one really hits the mark. It has a good balance between roasted sweetness and fruity tartness and it's an interesting encounter from start to finish. Lots of character and a complex composition. Highly recommended. (959 characters)

Smell: kind of muted. I'm drinking it around room temp. Pear, chocolate, roast, some mild citrus, some sweetness on the nose.

Appearance: Black. duh.

Taste: really interesting. There is a bitterness that comes about 3 seconds after the swallow and it coats the tongue after. A black patent malt bitterness, which still has some currant/fruit flavour to it. It has some definite sweetness and acidity to it and there is an almost citrus-like middle-of-the-tongue flavour. More black patent taste than a roasted barley taste. Coffee-grind, almost.

Mouthfeel: effervescent on the tongue, thick, nice. Not as heavy as other stouts, but still very pleasant.

You cannot taste any of the alcohol in this. But it is still created as a sipper. The carbonation and the acidity and bitterness make it a slow ride. and that ain't a bad thing. very unsessionable. sit down with a box of chocolates and drink this while you eat. or maybe have it with some Mexican/mole. (1,174 characters)

A: beautiful body, big fluffy two finger head comprised of good sized bubbles. really looks like a cappuccino.

S: malt, roast, licorice, some sugar, alcohol

T: roasted malt and chocolate up front, a hint of coffe to go along with the appereance. a spice follows, in part from the carbonation, in part because De Dolle is insane. licorice next, vanilla, a mild bitterness from the roasting, alcohol chases it down the throat and your left with a rather dry finish that asks for more.

M: the mouthfeel is great for a beer. for the style, its a little light, but I think thats just a belgian twist on the style which makes sense to me. super creamy.

D: as a nightcap, after dinner, roaring fire, slippers kinda beer....drinkablility is near perfect. for much else? not so much.

an interesting brew for sure. spot on for De Dolle again, one of my favorite producers for their spirit and talent. would love to be able to substitue 6 ounces or so of this after dinner instead of a coffee. (1,052 characters)

Alright..my first foray into De Dolle brews and definetly my first Belgian stout. Deep opaque black pour with a billowing three finger head. Very impressive...no light is passing through this brew. Good head retention. Roasted, burnt tones with hints of raisins, cocoa, molasses and a bit of earthy, barnyard twang.

Toasty, burnt malts upfront melding with raisins, dark cocoa and a subtle fruitiness. A nice bitterness on the way down with hints of earthy yeast and alcohol. Quite a nice interpretation of a stout, but there's too much carbonation for my liking.

Mouthfeel has a nice body to it with a slight creaminess..but the overcarbonation really throws me off. If this was a bit smoother it'd be much better in my book. I can't see having more than one of these in a sitting. An interesting stout that is well worth a try. (835 characters)

Bottled Jan 2010 stamped on the cap.Didn't know just how voluminous the head on this beer was, but was educated quickly. The pour took about five minutes, and produced a black colored beer with an abundant cocoa head that resembled whipped cream. The head dissipated quickly.Aroma was coffee/roasted malt, and chocolate.A deep espresso taste, moderately bitter, on a chocolate base.Pretty rich. One at a time would be plenty. (429 characters)

No dating on this one...
Huge amount of greyish brown sludge in the top of the bottle neck. Tons of head foamed up all over the place, even though I had left the glass half filled, it still started to foam over... Dark rootbeered brown that you cannot see through. Vineous scent and taste, more towards a red wine. Light in the aroma. Very highly carbinated, too much for my tastes. This does not taste much like a stout, more towards a barleywine. Strange, it just seemed like one I would like, but it just did not work for me. (529 characters)

A 11.2oz. bottle courtesy of Cornboy...
Pours black with some ruby highlights with the help of some artificial light...very carbonated which produces two full fingers off tan head. The foam sticks around for the entire snifter full and produces some pillowy lacing with decent cling.
First whiffs are a bit burning in the nose...nothing real complex at this point with caramel, chocolate and vanilla detected.
Taste is very unique...mostly nutty chocolate with a gentle smoked flavor. Not sure of the age of this bottle, but it is mildly sour and has a vineous character that works well.
Alcohol is apparent and I would enjoy this one as a night cap.
Mouthfeel is a bit chewy and the carbonation could be less.
Either way, a nice deviation from my normal selection and one I'd visit again. (795 characters)

Near-black in color...only the faintest glints of ruby-tinged light are visible at the edges of the glass. Thick, long-lasting, lovely lacing tannish head lays it all out for your enjoyment. Aromas are dark fruit dipped in chocolate with some pine cone shavings. Flavor is wonderful. Front side sees chocolate-covered caramel and finishes with a toasted nut specialty coffee while chewing on more dark fruit. Woven into the fabric is a subtle spicy "oomph" that teases you as it appears and disappears. Modest warming effect from the ABV to put a smile on your face. (566 characters)

Special Extra Export Stout has a thick, heady nose that radiates from the bottle, bringing about as unsubtle-as-it-gets notes of fig, tawny port, caramel, coffee, and dark cherry. Based on the nose alone, this stout deserves at least 4.5 stars, since the allure is simply beautiful.

On the tongue, the beer has a surprisingly light mouthfeel--medium-light at best--but flavors so huge that they temporarily overwhelm the tongue's ability to separate them. Ultimately, figs, port, and chocolate malts dominate, along with a raspberry-like tart sweetness that seems out of place in a stout, but blends wonderfully with the darker flavors. Later in the mouthful, after a few of the sugars have died off, tobacco and coffee flavors begin to rise from the depths, joined only slightly later by hints of ash and anise. These later flavors continue unabated into the aftertaste, which lingers for a good half-minute, at least. I also find that my tongue tingles during the first half of the mouthful, partly because of a rather heavy dose of carbonation, and partly because of the overwhelming variety of flavors.

This is truly an astounding stout, and one of the better-crafted of its kind that I've encountered. Well worth the effort to seek out. (1,245 characters)

Wow Nelly, what a beer. This brew has a monster head: good lord the head is so thick and huge you could use it as the foundation of a house. IS this a milk shake? It looks absolutely beautiful in a a pint glass-exceptional. The smell is of roasted malts. The taste is very nice, roasted malts with a gentle bitterness. At such a high alcohol level, it is amazing that there is no alcohol tatse what so ever. A clean and pleasing mouthfeel. A very highly drinkable brew. Without a doubt, I have found a new best friend. Search for this ale and enjoy! (549 characters)